


Summertime Sadness

by stardustmillenium



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Animal Death, Anxiety, Armitage Hux is a Jerk, Break Up, Depression, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, M/M, Sad Kylo Ren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 07:23:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18405887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustmillenium/pseuds/stardustmillenium
Summary: Summertime. Sunshine, friendship, laughter, and good times.That's what expect, right?Wrong.This summer is not what Ren expected.Heartbreak and loss have taken over.Find me on Tumblrredhairedfeistynerd





	Summertime Sadness

_Five, six, seven..._

He counted in his head, finger wavering above each day on the calendar. He swiped the screen to shift the calendar to May, hesitant to continue. 

_Eight, nine, ten..._

With every movement of his finger, Ren’s face tightened, refusing to let the tears that clung to the edge, spring from his eyes. He scrunched his face, pulled his lips in as his hands clenched, dropping the phone to the kitchen floor, its tempered glass cracking as it hit the tile. There was no need to pick it up, he had finished counting the days for the third time that afternoon. The number was still the same after a double check and then triple. The numbers weren’t lying; today was the two-week mark. Fourteen painful, excruciating days the left Ren ruminating over each and every word, hand gesture, and cold stares that were aimed right at his brown eyes. 

He rubbed the heels of his hands deep into his eyes before cracking them open, he glared down at the broken phone on the floor. 

_Good. That stupid thing causes me nothing but grief._

And with that thought, the first tear dropped to the table, quickly followed by another. They rolled, two by two, hitting the wooden slab with a gentle pitter-patter. He had to stop; he was crying over something he couldn’t fix. He ran his fingers through the tears on the table and looked down to his phone. He reached down, picking it up and inspecting the cracks in the glass, letting his fingers graze over the bumps and ridges. It made him think of each and every line and mark that Hux’s face held- and before he would let himself finish that thought, he had raised his right arm, and swung back, throwing the phone into the wall closest to him. Tiny pieces of the phone shot across the tile, spinning under the fridge and out towards the living room. 

_Fuck. What have I done?_

Tears were still falling, dampening the front of his shirt as he shoved the chair back, quickly standing and rushed over to where the black phone lay. The protective case had popped off of the phone, revealing one broken side and many cracks within the front glass. A small whimper escaped from Ren’s mouth as he cradled the phone in his hands. This piece of plastic and glass held everything; all their texts, each and every picture that he had taken, and every word he had written since Hux had shown up in his life, three years earlier. He had been warned to back up his files, to save everything to some mysterious place and now, it could all be lost. Ren dry heaved, retching as he was on all fours on the cold floor. Why didn’t he listen to Hux? His stomach lurched again. He could have backed up everything ages ago but Ren, being the stubborn man that he was, figured that it was safe. Nothing could destroy this phone or what it held within. Nothing could destroy what they had together. Right? 

“Oh fuck,” Ren covered his mouth to hold back screaming. Panic was setting in fast, his stomach churning and heart racing. Cell phone in one hand, he crawled to the counter, reaching for the house phone he had insisted on having, much to Hux’s dismay. His fingers fumbled over the numbers, calling the only person that could possibly pull him out of this catastrophe. After what seemed like hours, he had punched it the proper numbers and brought the phone to his ear. Tears had careened into his ear making the earpiece slip off as he hear her pick up on the other end. 

“Hey! Why the shit are you phoning me from the house phone? You’re really showing your age, old man,” laughed Rey. When she didn’t get the immediate response she expected, her voice dropped, “Ren?” 

“I can’t see anything...it’s broken-so broken!” Ren shouted into the mouthpiece. “I wrecked it. Fuck! I ruin everything! That’s what-” 

“You need to get a hold of yourself and take a breath, right now. Come on,” Rey urged. “Let me hear it.” She waited; the other end of the line now silent, she was certain he had hung up on her, or possibly passed out from hyperventilating. Hearing him take in a deep breath, she was thankful he hadn’t shut her out. As he released the air in his lungs, she counted to five out loud for him. “I want you to do it again, breathe in and then out.” She heard a noise from the other end and presumed that was Ren acknowledging what was asked of him. “And go.” She heard him take in the air and slowly let it go. She repeated what she had done the previous time and waited a moment after she finished counting. “Is the panic subsiding, Ren? Should we try one of the mantra’s you do at group?” 

“No, no, I’m thankful you helped me breathe. My chest doesn’t hurt as much; I think I’ll be all right for the time being.” 

“Do you want to talk about what happened before you called?” Rey asked. 

Ren took a few cleansing breaths in and out before he confided in Rey that he wasn’t handling his break-up well. His anger had taken over and with that, he had possibly destroyed everything that his phone held. He felt lost and lonely in the large house that he had recently bought with Hux. Rey did what she was best at and listened, without judgement and trying to suggest to Ren that he purchase something to write in, rather than rely on electronics for the time being. He thanked Rey profusely for bringing him back to reasonable mind for today. He placed the phone back on the cradle and opened his laptop that sat on the counter next to the phone. He was scared to lose anything else (his mind included), and searched online for a journal as Rey had suggested. Something expensive; something that shouted Kylo Ren. Sleek and dark. Stable enough to not be broken or destroyed in a fit of anger. 

And just like that he found it. Leather-bound and could be monogrammed, once he was done with one journal, he could replace it with another. The books could slide out of the leather casing and could be fit with another of the black books he would order. He took out his credit card and purchased enough books to last him the rest of the year. 

Three days later, a knock on his front door woke him from a deep sleep on his new bed; the couch. He pulled the blue blanket over his bare shoulders and stumbled down the two steps that lead down to the wooden front doors. There was a loud thump, presumably from the front stoop. Unlatching the chain and flipping the bolt, he peeked with one eye to see where the noise came from. His eyes ran from left to right, stopping once he spotted that two boxes that were sitting on the stone stoop. He glanced towards the end of the driveway, hoping to shout out a thank you to the postal worker but the van had already been started, the driver hidden behind the wheel. “Thanks,” he said quietly, hoping that maybe someone out there would hear. It felt like he hadn’t spoken to an actual person in forever and the sounds of his voice, so tiny and weak, shocked him. Sticking one leg out, he reached forward and grabbed the cardboard boxes, bringing them inside as he swung his leg back in. Ren couldn’t be bothered to bring them back into the living room and plopped down on the tiled entryway, peeling back the tape from the top box. He pulled the flaps of the brown box open and looked down to inspect his purchases. He reached in to pull the first book out. It was wrapped in beautiful black and gold tissue paper and closed with a thin gold sticker marked with the name of the store he had bought them from. Peeling back the thin paper, the black leather cover made its debut. Running his hands over the soft material and breathing in the scent of leather, he admired the beautiful script on the front. The K & R of his initials were pressed deep into the leather, silver had been added into the grooves, making it shine as the lights above hit it. Bringing the book up to his nose, he inhaled the scent, richness flowing into his nostrils. 

He carried the first book back to the couch, plopping his large body down and opening the cover to reveal the first blank page. Reaching over to the side table, he picked up one of the many pens he had dumped on the glass when he had moved all his belongings into the living room. The room had become his living space over the last two weeks; he couldn’t bear to live in the rest of the house, not without Hux. He didn’t have it in him to make this house a home without the person he loved and so, he chose to punish himself by confining himself to the few rooms he needed: living room, kitchen, bathroom, and backyard. Ren cracked his knuckles and brought his pen to the paper; he dated the page and noted that this book would journal the events of the last month-before the break-up and present day. 

The pen slid across the paper and the words flowed out seamlessly. 

_Two weeks earlier_

Ren pressed the dial button and called as soon as he got to the end of Hux’s messages. The phone didn’t even have a chance to ring, “Are you purposely trying to give me a heart attack? I’ve been texting FOREVER, Ren, what is wrong with you?” Shouted Hux. Ren could picture him red faced in this moment and about to burst a vein. 

Ren took a breath in, knowing that Hux was already super charged and he had to let out all the anger he had built up in the ten minutes that had passed after his last text. “REN!” Hux had screamed so loud into the phone that Ren could see his co-worker turn her head to see where the noise had come from. 

“Hux, stop. I read your messages and-” 

“What, read them an hour ago and THEN decided to call me after I was in a panic?” Hux was huffing loudly on the other end. 

Ren remained silent as Hux continued to berate him about how little he must love him. Right, that’s exactly how I feel Hux, that’s why I am working all these hours and giving in to EVERYTHING you want. But Ren couldn’t say it out loud, his reasonable thoughts clung to his brain and his anger shot outward. 

“Armitage Hux, THAT IS ENOUGH!” And with that, Ren hung up on his boyfriend. He regretted it instantly, gripping the phone tightly in his large hand. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” 

Ren headed back to the apartment later than evening, hoping that Hux had taken the time to think about why Ren blew up at him, why he hung up on him. Ren certainly spent the last 3 hours of his shift at the station, writing out all the things he could have said to Hux instead of blowing his top. It’s just, this had been going on for months, Hux controlling each and everything little thing in their lives, Ren was at the end of his rope. They had finally bought a house after going to every showing in town for the last year. (Ren reluctantly tagging behind) Papers had been signed, lawyers and inspectors had been hired; it was time to move their belongings into the house at the base of one of the cities many mountains. This was where the next part of their lives would start. Within the walls of a spacious home, which, Ren was sure, that Hux would decorate and organise his way. 

Ren walked up to the door of their apartment, key in hand and ready to face the wrath of “the General” (a name Ren and his friends had taken to calling Hux during their year of house hunting) but before he could stick the key into the lock, the door opened, revealing his boyfriend, hair tousled and a scowl across his face. The red-haired man said nothing and turned from the open door, walking back to the boxes he looked to be packing up. Ren followed behind him, hoping to ease into a safe conversation about getting ready for the big move. 

“Are those the boxes Rey said she was going to drop off? The ones she was picking up from the liquor store?” Ren asked as he kneeled down, sitting across from Hux as he wrapped something up in the blue surgical wrap, he had managed to convince a handsome nurse to save for him at the hospital. 

Hux couldn’t even bother to look up when he spoke. “No, I can’t seem to rely on your friends or family either. I guess that’s one thing you have in common with them, isn’t it, Ren?” Hux’s snide remarks had Ren biting his lip hard, trying to hold in every foul thing he could possibly say to his boyfriend. He took a breath in and watched as Hux picked up another item beside him as he began to repeat the same movements of the previous box. Ah. He was packing up all the antique tea cups that Leia had passed on when Ren had moved into this apartment. He had always been fascinated with the delicate lines on each of the china cups, the fragility of each piece. He appreciated that they were being packed up properly. He looked over to where Hux was sitting, hoping to get a glance at some of the other cups before they were stored away in their temporary home. He eyes followed Hux’s legs, which were near the pile of items that he was packing up and it was then, that Ren furrowed his brow, wondering why Hux was packing up Ren’s random items. Tea cups, broadcasting diploma, the wine glasses Rose had given them for Secret Santa, and what about Ren’s toiletries. He leaned over and brought two fingers to Hux’s chin, trying to lift it up so he eyes would look directly into Ren’s. “Hux, what are you doing? Why exactly are you boxing up my hair stuff and my other personal things?” Hux could only meet his eyes for a moment before letting them slide back down. “These are your things Ren. I expect you to take them and load them all into your car on your way out this evening.” He pushed the flaps of the box down, taking the tape gun and aggressively closing up it up. Pulling a black marker from his pocket he scrawled ‘Ren’s Shit’ on the top and pushed the box across the carpet. “Here. The other boxes are yours too. If I find anything else, I’ll have it brought over to the house. I plan on staying here in the apartment, I don’t think the cat needs to be stressed out over you being an asshole to me,” Hux spat out. 

“What the shit! All of this because I hung up on you for being dramatic on the phone this afternoon?” Ren was trying his hardest not to raise his voice. His face grew redder as the moment passed and his hands were in fists by his side. 

“You need to leave, Ren. Take the boxes and go. I can’t stand to look at your face right now.” Hux moved one of the boxes closer to the front door before speaking again. “Get out now, before I have you removed!” Hux shook as he yelled at Ren, his face as red as the hair on his head. 

Ren took one last look at Hux and shuffled towards the door and out of the apartment; picking up a box in his arms. Tears were falling in a steady stream down his face before he even had the door open. His full lips quivered as he wondered, how could this be happening after all these years? All he did was shout at Hux. All these months of nodding his head and going along with everything his boyfriend wanted and this was what he got in return. 

He managed to make it home but couldn’t remember getting into his vehicle and driving the ten minutes to the house at the bottom of the mountain. Putting the car into park and pressing the button to turn it off, he rested his head on the steering wheel, breathing in and out, trying to grasp what had transpired. The car settled and everything falls silent around him, except for his watch, tick, tick, ticking away, like nothing has happened. Time moves but he’s not paying attention to it; his head is still pressed against the wheel, the pattern most likely printed on his forehead. The evening passes by, he vaguely hears cars, and somewhere above, a plane rushes to its destination. The summer evening is cooling down and a breeze sweeps in the window over his wide shoulders. He’s not ready to go inside the house. He looks up, the house towers over him. It’s intimidating with the windows blackened and dark, eyes staring and judging him, letting him know that he has failed. The house glares at him and Ren can’t stand it any longer; he put his head against the steering wheel again, closing his eyes. In his mind, all he can see is Hux, the twisted expression he had on his face when he told Ren to get out. He’s not sure how many hours pass by before he falls asleep in the car but he wakes to the sound of the early morning birds bantering above in the trees. A deep sigh escapes his mouth, he knows he has to go in, he knows he has to move the boxes into the house, and he definitely knows that he will be alone. Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he pulls his body from the car. He’s stiff and there’s a pain in his forehead from being pressed against the wheel. He uses the keys to pop the trunk and lifts the first of the boxes into his arms and makes his way up the stairs to his new home. He rummages through the pocket of his coat to find the singular key that the real estate agent gave him for the front door. Pulling it out, he slides in into the lock, and pushes down the handle, opening the door to his new life. 

A week goes by.... then a second. The hours drag on, each minute is painful for Ren. His heart feel like it’s ripping in two, his throat hurts from screaming while he’s alone in the one room that he lets himself live in. After the first week he feels nothing, he is empty inside. That quickly passes and he cries for what seems like days. He pulls his hair out and he throws whatever is near him. His head has been throbbing for days, he figures he should drink more water with all the crying he has done. There doesn’t seem to be a drop left in his body, no tears, no feelings, and nothing makes sense anymore. 

Ren puts the pen down and blows a piece of hair out of his face. He’s written several pages he thinks, flipping back to count how many. Six. Not too bad. He feels lighter, his chest not so tight, like he had widened the space. He’s surprised that he didn’t break down during the writing process, maybe he’s moving away from all of this pain. Shutting the book, the pen in between the pages to mark where he is, he pulls his feet back up on the couch cushions and stretches out his body. He scrunches up his pillow, just the way he likes it, before he rests his head down. The exhaustion from writing, the exhaustion from feeling too much, takes its toll and Ren slips into the deepest sleep he has had in weeks. 

The days have grown longer and Ren uses the extended light of the day to his advantage. He finds ways to pass the time. The backyard is now his second home, he digs deep into their property; pulling out brambles and dead branches from the far back corner of their yard. The movement keeps his mind busy, the fresh air flows in an out and around him. He breathes in and then out, pushing the memories away and tries to make space for new ones in this house. Everything still stings when he’s in the house; each room makes him think of Hux, at least while outside he can make it a world of his own. He’s the king here; the one rebuilding his fortress for future battles, who with, he’s not sure. 

After an unexpectedly hot day, he’s fallen asleep under the stars that night, wrapped in a light plaid blanket with the fire lit in front of him, several empty beer bottles beside him. To keep himself busy the last few days, the yard has become his reason to get up in the morning. Hauling the dead trees out of the yard, mowing and weeding the large expanse that is behind the house. He had convinced Hux that this house, nestled at the base of a mountain, would be an exceptional place to entertain their friends. But now, here he was, alone. Hux back at the apartment they had shared before buying the house. 

It was the buzzing that woke him. He pulled his arms out from under the blanket and reached blindly with his hand to find the phone. Another buzz, Ren tries to reach towards the glass side table he was sure he had left the phone on. He flopped his hand around, locating it as it vibrated again and pulled it towards his face. The screen flashed, so bright that Ren had to close his eyes before taking a second glance at his late-night caller. 

_Hux_

He squeezes his eyes shut, thinking that in his groggy, half-drunk state, that he was imagining things. The phone jolted again, angry in his hand and waiting to be answered. The name flashed brightly once again. Hux. 

Breathing out, he accepted the call, swiping right to answer. “Hux?” Ren answered sounding confused and wondering if maybe it was an error. There was silence on the other end; he knew this was a mistake. He pulled the phone away from his ear and looked down at the screen. Time was still ticking away; he brought the phone back to his ear. “Hux,” he said, a little louder this time. He pressed the phone closer, swearing that he heard movement of some sort on the other end. Was that a sniffle? “Hux? Are you there?” He heard it clearly this time, a sniffle and a parting of lips. 

“You answered.” The voice on the other end was unlike the Hux he had last spoken with. This Hux was one that spoke softly, the words a bit jumpy coming out. 

Half asleep, he had to control himself, eager to tell Hux that he was so thankful that he was finally calling. No, he couldn’t let himself seem desperate. 

“Ya, I answered. It’s um...really late Hux. What’s on your mind?” Ren asked, trying to keep his tone under control. The silence came again and as Ren was about to repeat his question, the sound of Hux crying came through to his ear. 

“I...I need some help, Kylo.” Hux blubbered. 

_Kylo? Was he really going to pull this shit right now? The only time he ever used his first name was when he was, well...After all the shit he has put me through this last month._ A low growl escaped from Ren’s mouth.

“Is that..is that a no?” stuttered Hux. He continued to sniffle on the other end and Ren couldn’t help but feel that he needed to comfort his ex. 

“You haven’t even told me what it is that you need. Do you expect me to agree without knowing what the hell is going on?” said Ren, trying to keep his irritation to a minimum. Keep calm. Keep calm. 

“Millie. It’s Millie,” sobbed Hux. “She’s so weak Ren. So weak. I... I want, wanted to call you but, well, you know why.” Hux blew his nose loudly into the phone. 

Ren sighed. “You know Hux, you could just bring her to the 24-hour veterinary up the street. They could help you out and I’m sure you would rather see them” 

“No. NO! That’s not what I want. She’s OUR cat; I need you there with me. Please Kylo, please,” begged Hux. 

Hearing Hux use his first name, had him cringing once again. 

“This can’t wait until tomorrow, Hux? I’ve had a few drinks tonight... and um, I don’t think it would be smart for me to drive there. 

“Drinking? Since when, Ren? You rarely drink, you-” 

“Don’t you dare go off at me. What I do now is none of your business. You made the decision to kick me out and what I choose to do with my time, has nothing to do with you anymore. If you phoned to try and control things in my life, I think it would be best if we both hung up now,” Ren said with irritation in his voice, his finger already placed on the red phone icon and about to swipe the call to an end. 

“Kylo, please! I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. Please,” pleaded Hux, “don’t go.” 

“I will say this one time only, so listen up. We are not together anymore and there’s no reason for you to be talking to me the way you just did. We are in this situation because of a decision you made, if you have a problem with it, then you can talk to me in a respectful manner. Do you understand me Hux? Ren took a breath in and let it go, trying to release some of the anger that had risen during Hux’s questioning. He heard Hux say something but it wasn’t clear on his end. “Did you say something Hux because whatever it was, I couldn’t hear. It’s not like you to be so quiet,” taunted Ren. He felt like a dick talking to Hux this way but what did his ex-boyfriend expect? 

“I said, I understand. That's all,” replied Hux. 

Ren agreed to meet Hux at the vet early the next morning. He was exhausted, after their phone call. Ren lay back in his chair, staring up at the night sky, the Big Dipper above him, was prominent. There had been many nights that Ren had sat here, watching the shooting stars and wishing that Hux would send him a message or beg for him to come back into his arms. Wrapping himself up in the blanket he closed his eyes and nodded off. 

Here he was, bright and early, driving up to a vet, not to get back together with Hux but to support him and Millicent. With a groan, he pushed his hair out of his face, turned off the car, and made his way out. The anxiety he had felt since Hux called, was spreading across his chest, tightening with each step he made towards the front door. The feeling intensified when he spotted Hux’s car in the parking lot to the side of the building. Fuck. In ten seconds, I’m going to see the face I’ve been crying over for over a month. Fuck. Pushing the door open, chimes sounded as he entered. Hux’s head lifted at the sound, his eyes meeting Ren’s. 

If Ren thought he looked like shit, he couldn’t begin to explain how worn out Hux looked. Hux was a man that went the extra mile to look pristine; never a hair out of place. Today's look went against everything that the ginger-haired man was. Unkempt, hair greasy and hanging into his eyes, haggard looking, as if he had spent his night sleeping on the floor. His clothing, rumpled and not tucked in, looked as if it had been slept in. Two more steps and he was standing over Hux. The red-haired man held the soft carrying case on his lap, his arms wrapped around it as if to hug Millicent. 

Ren broke eye contact, closing his eyes and taking one final deep breath before breaking the silence. 

“Hey,” he said softly while sucking his lip in to help ease the anxiety that tightened his chest. Hux nodded his head in response. Ren needed to fill the silence, “So, um, will they bring her in soon?” Ren asked trying to start a conversation. Before his question could be answered, the woman behind the desk called for Millicent. 

Ren held out his hand, offering to help Hux up. He didn’t take Ren’s hand as he pulled himself up from the plastic chair. His knees wobbled as he tried to stand upright and Ren quickly reached over to steady the weak man. Hux’s hands were wrapped tightly around the straps of the carrying case, afraid that he would drop his beloved cat. Ren’s arm wrapped around his waist as they walked towards the technician. “This way Mr.Hux, we have room 4 set up for Millicent today,” the woman said as she guided them into the room. “I need to weigh Millicent; would you take her out of the carrier please?” 

Hux looked to Ren, his eyes welling up with tears. “Ren-” 

“Here Hux, I’ll get her out carefully, don’t worry, okay?” He reached to take the bag from Hux, gentle with his movements as not to scare the cat (or Hux). Placing the black carrier on the metal table, he unzipped the front opening, revealing the orange cat he had come to love over the last few years. The start of their relationship had been rocky, Millicent was a one-man cat when Ren first came into Hux’s life. After many months, he had won her over with catnip toys and salmon treats, he even let her sleep on his pillow once she came around. 

Millicent meowed as Ren’s hands pulled her out as gently as possible. Bringing her up to his chest, he gave her a little cuddle and kissed the top of her head before passing her off the veterinary technician. She was quickly weighed and handed back to Ren who pulled her against his chest and sat down next to Hux. Hux reached over to touch Millie and he looked directly at Ren. “It’s been so warm that she’s been sleeping on the glass table in the living room,” Hux said while running his hand slowly over Millie. Her fur, dull now, had lost the shine it had had the last time Ren had seen her. 

“Hux, do you know what’s going on with her? You said you wanted to call me before. Is she okay?” Ren looked into Hux’s eyes, waiting for answers. 

“She has kidney failure, Ren. There’s nothing else they can do for her and it’s -” Hux let the tears fall freely down his cheeks before he took a breath in and continued speaking. “It’s the end for her Ren, she’s so lethargic and she keeps losing weight. When I spoke to the doctor yesterday, he said I should consider bringing her in to put her down. It’s why I called you last night, to be fair and have you here with her for her last moments. I wanted you to be here to say goodbye.” Hux rested his head on Ren’s shoulder and he continued to run his hand over Millicent’s body. 

Ren’s body stiffened; he’d said goodbye to her that night, before he carried the last box out to his car and today, he would say goodbye to her again. He put his arm around Hux’s knobby shoulders and pulled him closer, hoping to give comfort where it was needed. 

He watched Hux as he whispered sweet words to his beloved cat. Assuring her that he was going to be there and that it was going to be ok. Ren watched and with each word that was spoken to the ginger cat, Hux’s tears ran faster down his face and his body leaned further into the Ren. Ren reached his hand out to push Hux’s hair back and whispered to his ex-lover that he was there for both of them. 

The door was pushed open and the doctor walked in, looking to Hux first nodding, then looking to Ren, “I’m sorry that we have to see each other in this way, gentlemen. I assure you that you’ll have the time you need to say goodbye. How about you bring the beautiful ginger gal up on the table, you guys can stand right with her during this entire process, okay?” 

Ren lifted up Millicent first before assisting Hux to his feet. Two steps over and Ren carefully placed the cat on the table. Ren wrapped his arm around Hux’s waist as they listened to the doctor explain what was going to happen and soon enough, it was time to say their goodbyes. 

_A month later_

“Okay, keep your eyes shut for a few more minutes, I need to run out to the car and grab my surprise for you.” Ren ran out the front door of the house and down the steps to the car. He opened the door, taking the cloth case out from the back seat. Checking over what was inside, making sure that everything was in place, Ren carefully took the gift out of the case and carried it into the house. 

“Keep your eyes closed Hux! I know you’re trying to peek, you brat!” With one hand, Ren reached over and placed his large hand over Hux’s eyes. He brought forward his other hand and held the gift against his chest. “All right, I’ll count to three and then you’ll open your eyes, okay?” Hux nodded in agreement. “Hold your hands out, Hux” At the count of three, Ren placed the gift into Hux’s cupped hands. 

One, two blue eyes opened quickly to look upon the gift Ren had placed in his hands. The tiny ball of orange looked right at him and a tiny meow escaped from its mouth. 

“Oh Ren,” Hux whispered, trying not to scare the tiny kitten in his hands. “Beautiful baby kitty, I love you so much already.” Hux brought the kitten to his lips and kissed its head. 

“I thought it would be a good idea to bring something new in, you know, with our new house and with us trying our relationship again,” Ren said, blushing. “It felt like the right thing to do after our summer was full of sadness.” 

Hux grabbed Ren’s hand and pulled him down to the couch. “You wonderful, perfect man, you always know what to do,” said Hux nuzzling his nose into Ren’s neck. He kissed the pale skin that stretched across Ren’s throat. How he had missed the taste of his skin and the scent of his beautiful hair. With a final kiss to Ren’s neck, the kitten let out a teeny meow, as if in agreement with her new family, that this was a perfect way to make new memories.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> All mistakes are my own. If anyone is interested in being a beta for future works, please let me know.


End file.
